New Vision for Women's Health: Trends and Innovation That Push the Category Forward

Women’s health is undergoing a renaissance. Scientists and manufacturers are finally recognizing the critical need for research and product innovations that truly represent women and their actual needs. Parallel to this is a powerful push for professional inclusivity—ensuring that those with lived experiences are actively leading clinical research and designing products for half the global population.

In honor of Women’s Health Month, we are spotlighting the science, innovations, and leaders driving this progress. While the industry has made significant strides, this is just the beginning. Let’s continue to challenge one another to do better and sustain this momentum.

Enjoy this compilation of articles and interviews on women’s health.

Recognizing the Nuances of Women's Health, From Menopause to Hormonal Health

Nutritional Outlook interviews Trisha Sugarek MacDonald, market development manager for Akay Bioactives about the importance of addressing menopause in stages (pre-, peri-, and post-menopause) and understanding the impact of hormones on women's overall health, not just fertility, monthly cycles and menopause. She also highlights the top opportunities for manufacturers in women’s health, and what excites her about what’s happening in the category.

Women’s Health Innovation: Gut-Ovary Axis and Traditional Botanicals

Highlights from Nutritional Outlook’s conversation with Ayla Barmmer, MS, RD, LDN, Founder and CEO of FullWell, and Jennifer Greer, ND, MEd, Scientific Advisor/Medical Affairs Consultant, who will be speaking at The Outlook on Women’s Wellness. In this reel, Barmmer and Greer discuss the gaps and opportunities in women’s health, and what excites them about the category.

The Science Behind Women’s Fertility Supplements

The article explores how modern reproductive health supplements are shifting from a short-term focus to providing long-term, foundational support for women's fertility across various life stages. It highlights the role of ubiquinol, a highly bioavailable antioxidant that boosts mitochondrial energy within energy-dependent oocytes to preserve egg quality against age-related decline, nutrients like folate which help regulate homocysteine pathways and lower miscarriage risks, as well as the critical role of a Lactobacillus-dominated vaginal microbiome in maintaining an optimal pH environment, broadening the scope of proactive, science-grounded reproductive wellness.

Fertility FAQ: What Today’s Research Says About Nutrition, Hormones, and Reproductive Health

Fertility is no longer being viewed solely through the narrow lens of conception and pregnancy. Across the healthcare, nutrition, and dietary supplement industries, researchers and clinicians are increasingly framing reproductive wellness as part of a larger continuum of women’s health that spans adolescence, reproductive years, perimenopause, and healthy aging. This broader evolution highlights how metabolic health, inflammation, mitochondrial function, hormone balance, and nutritional status may all influence fertility outcomes.

At the same time, growing consumer demand for personalized wellness solutions has accelerated innovation in fertility-focused supplements, functional ingredients, and women’s health formulations. Ingredients such as omega-3 fatty acids, ubiquinol, methylated folate, and botanicals like shatavari are drawing heightened interest as scientists investigate their roles in reproductive physiology, ovarian health, and cellular energy production.

The following FAQ explores several of the key questions currently driving conversation in women’s reproductive health research and nutritional science.

Fenugreek FAQ: An Evolving Women’s Health Ingredient

Fenugreek has long been used in traditional wellness systems, but interest in the ingredient is expanding across the modern nutraceutical industry as brands look for evidence-backed botanicals targeting women’s health, including as it pertains to the beauty-from-within, sports performance, and healthy aging arenas.

Increasingly, manufacturers are also exploring how delivery technologies, standardization strategies, and synergistic formulations may improve the ingredient’s market potential and consumer appeal.

The FAQ examines how fenugreek is currently being positioned within the women’s health supplement landscape.

Shatavari: The Next Breakout Botanical

The article highlights shatavari (Asparagus racemosus) as an emerging breakout botanical in the women's health sector, experiencing a market trajectory similar to ashwagandha's rise a decade ago. This traditional Ayurvedic remedy is gaining traction among mainstream consumers and wellness brands. Recent clinical data validates its traditional use, proving its effectiveness as a hormonal adaptogen that supports lactation, menstrual regularity, menopause management, and overall sexual health. Driven by bioactives called shatavarins, the ingredient gently balances complex, multi-system endocrine and stress pathways rather than offering a single, blunt biological target.

Global Consensus Renames PCOS to Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome (PMOS)

Following a multi-year global consensus process supported by 56 international organizations, Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) has been officially renamed Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome (PMOS). The update aims to correct the organ-centric inaccuracies of the previous name, which mistakenly implied an increase in abnormal ovarian cysts while ignoring the complex, systemic nature of the condition. Published in The Lancet, this rebranding reflects a 14-year collaborative effort that engaged over 14,000 patients and health professionals to reduce stigma and emphasize the multisystem endocrine and metabolic mechanisms affecting roughly 170 million women globally. For the nutraceutical industry, this shift opens up a three-year transition window to realign educational and marketing strategies toward broader lifestyle solutions—such as shatavari, omega-3s, and CoQ10—that address weight management, metabolic dysfunction, and mental health alongside reproductive care.

PCOS to PMOS: Why the Name Change Reflects Metabolism

Nutritional Outlook spoke with Dr. Thais Aliabadi, OBGYN, Co-Host of the SHE MD podcast and Co-Founder of the hormone and metabolic support supplement Ovii to discuss the significance of the name change, the metabolic roots of the condition, and the support needed for women living with PMOS.

Why Renaming PCOS to PMOS Could Reshape Women’s Health Care and Research

Nutritional Outlook interviews board-certified OB/GYN Sameena Rahman, MD, who is also the founder of the GYN & Sexual Medicine Collective, to discuss why renaming polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) to polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS) more accurately reflects the condition’s systemic nature and long-term metabolic implications.

Expanding Women’s Wellness: Skin and Hair Health Research and Developments

Nutritional Outlook interviews Dr. Heather Woolery-Lloyd, MD, FAAS, chief medical advisor for Nutrafol, to address the shift in women’s wellness, particularly with opportunities in longevity and skin and hair health. In the interview, Dr. Woolery-Lloyd addresses how hormone fluctuations during pregnancy as well as metabolic shifts with GLP-1 use can influence hair growth, plus how the estrogen drop during menopause can also push hair out of a growing phase into a shedding one. She also notes that there is opportunity for formulators to address underserved consumer needs, particularly regarding products for skin and hair care for people of color.

There Was No Playbook for Perimenopause—So I’m Helping Write One

Perimenopause blindsides even clinicians. Amanda Frick, ND, senior vice president of Medical, Clinical, & Scientific Affairs at Thorne shares her personal experience going through perimenopause and emphasizes the importance of proactive, woman-led research for transforming the way women's health solutions are developed.

Menopause Nutraceutical Market Expands Through Clinical Research and Targeted Innovation

Clinical research, botanical innovation, and targeted delivery formats are reshaping the menopause supplement market as nutraceutical companies develop science-backed solutions for sleep, muscle health, and women’s wellness.